Mechanical display and advertising device



P. H. EGOLF MECHANICAL ISPLY AND ADVERTISING DEVICE my y, w25.

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Patented .my 1', 192s.

- UNITED STATES PAUL H. GOLF, F NABBERTH, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL DISPLAY AND ADVERTISING DEvIcE.

Application led June 27, i922. Serial No. 571,131.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL. I-I. oou', a`

citizen of the United States, residing in Narberth, Pennsylvania, have invented a Mechanical Display and Advertising Device, of which the following is a Specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a device adapted for displaying in miniature and `for advertising purposes a railroad train or other vehicle, it being desired ,to render the display as realistic and as true to actual running conditions as possible.

In the attached drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates in front elevation a device made jin accordance with my invention; t

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a detached and fragmentary perspective of a detail of the construction.

With'reference to the drawings, the device in the present instance comprises a casing 1 having in the front wall thereof a rectangular opening 2. Mounted within the` casing in bearings 3, 3, is a pair of horizontal and parallel shafts 4;, 4, each of which carries a roller 5 on which operates an endless belt or conveyer element 6. One of the shafts 4 has thereon a grooved pulley -7 which is connected by means of a belt 8 to a pulley 9 on the armature shaft of an electric motor l0, this motor also being operatively connected through a belt l1 with one of a air of vertical s afts 12, 12, mounted in suitable bearings 13 at opposite ends of the casing. One of the shafts 12 carries a grooved pulley 14 around which the belt 11 passes.

The endless belt 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, lies op osite the lower edge of the opening 2, and) that portion of the belt at the top which is visible through Said open ing is reinforced in the present instance by a. plate or platform -15 supported upon standards 16, 16, within the casing. The

belt 6 in the present instance supports a.l

small model 17 of a railroad train, and is provided with a pair of elevations 18 to re resent the tracks upon which the train travels.

The train in the resent instance comprises an engine, ten er and one coach, and

1t is desirable that the entire train or other4 vehicle which is 'to'be used in the device be visible through the opening 2, this assisting materially, as will be explained hereinafter,

in rendering the device realistic in appearance. The train 17 is in the present instance held relatively immovable in the casing by means of an arm 19, which is secured to the bottom of the casing and attaches to the nexposed side of the engine. This rod, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, consists of a lower tubular portion 20 which is ivotally mounted at its lower end in a brac et 21 secured in the bottom of the casing, the pivot pin 22 extending in the direct-ion of the travel of the belt. A rod 23 of reduced diameter is attached to the unexposed side of the engine and extends down into the tube 20.

Mounted upon suitable rollers 25 upon the respective vertical shafts 12 is an endless fabric strip 26, upon which, as shown in Fig. 1, is depicted a panoramic view ada ted to illustrate the countryside through which the train 17 is passing.

In operation, thelmotor 10 being Started drives both the belt 6 and the panoramic strip 26 in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, the visible portions o-f the track belt 6 and the strip 26 moving towards the rear of thetrain and giving the impression that these two elements are stationary and that the train is advanci The train is supported entirely by the belt 6, the latter being reinforced, as previously described, by the platform 15, but the natural irregularities in the belt or conveyer transmit to the train a movement which corres onds very accurately to the movement ofp a regular train on the tracks. This transmitted movement may be increased if found 'desirable by increasing the irregularities of the belt 6.

Although the train is held relatively stationary lin back of the opening 2 by means of the previously described arm 19, it will be apparent that this arm interferes in no way with any vertical or lateral rockingmovement that may be ven the train and particularly the engindy the aforesaid irregularities of the belt 6.

As a result of this arrangement, the rearward movement of the belt 6l at the top, and the rearward movement of the panoramic strip 26, and the further irregular movement given the train bythe movin belt upon which it rests, an extremely reistic depiction of a moving train is provided.

It will, of course, be ap arent that the device may be employed witlh various types of land vehicles, such as automobiles, wagons or the like, but it is, of course, particularly valuable in connection with the motordriven types.

claim:

l. n a display device, the combination with a movable support, of a movable panorama at the rear of said support,` and a vehicle mounted upon said support, means independent of the vehicle for driving the support and panorama, and means preventing movement of the. vehicle in the direction of travel of the support While permitting movement vertically or laterally with the irregularities of the support.

2. In a display device, the combination with a casing having an opening in the front thereof, of horizontal and vertical endless strips rotatably mounted in said casing, the top of said horizontal strip being visibleat the bottom of said casing opening and the said vertical strip lying rearwardly 0f the said exposed portion of the horizontal strip and of the said opening, a vehicle supported by the horizontal strip and entirely visible through said opening, means independent of the vehicle for rotating said strips, and` Mamas means for retaining the said vehicle in position behind the casing opening.

3. ln a display device, the combination with an endless horizontal conveyer, of a vehicle mounted on said conveyer, means independent of the vehicle for driving the conveyer, and means for holding the vehicle' relatively stationary upon the conveyer comprising a retaining element movable laterally and vertically of the conveyer but immovable longitudinally thereof. l

4. ln a display device, the combination with a casing having an opening in one side, a movable support for a vehicle visible through said opening, a moving panorama disposed rearwardly of said support, a vehicle model mounted on said support, means independent of the vehicle for driving the support and panorama, and means for maintaining the vehicle behind the said casing opening in such position that portions of the support and panorama are visible at each end.

PAUL H. GoLF. 

